If you go down to the woods today, you probably won’t be surprised.
Chances are, someone else has already been there, and all they saw was trees and bugs.
But if you go down to Saskathewan’s largely unexplored boreal forest region—which is the largest such environment in the world, spanning more than 1 billion acres—you could very well be surprised to death.
That’s the starting premise of Beyond the Oaks, a promising open-world third-person shooter that plays on the dread only an uncharted forest can inspire.
Currently in Kickstarter, Beyond the Oaks is a passion project for indie developer Jay Cameron, whose game design career began all the way back in 2010 when he was still at school.
It sees you, as Andrew, venturing into a surreal arboreal world and becoming trapped there, surrounded by strange characters, deadly wildlife, and puzzles.
After a short while you discover a futuristic set of armor, equipped with a JARVIS-style AI assistant called E.M.I.L.I. Far from being your instant savior, however, E.M.I.L.I. has been struck with a curse, and she needs your help to regain her powers.
These powers fall into three skill trees—combat mechanics, suit gadgets, and technology upgrades—letting you approach your character’s progression in a way that suits your playing style.
Cue a sprawling campaign that sees you unlocking new abilities while completing quests and exploring three huge biomes consisting of thick woods, ancient medieval villages, strange alien caves, icy mountainscapes, smoking volcanic ruins, and more.
Oh, and getting into battles with a huge array of enemies, from sorceresses to robotic drones.
And solving puzzles.
At first glance, Beyond the Oaks looks a little bit Alan Wake 2, a little bit Tears of the Kingdom, with a blend of hi-tech sci-fi and fantasy elements, and an atmospheric, mildly terrifying aesthetic.
This is helped along by some fantastically slick, detailed 3D Unreal Engine visuals and some top-tier art direction. Check out the trailer to see what we mean.
And the team’s ambitions aren’t solely technical. According to DragonFly Games, Jay Cameron’s studio, Beneath the Oaks is being designed with ludonarrative harmony in mind. In other words, the gameplay mirrors the story’s themes of freedom and control.
Beneath the Oaks has already attracted a development grant from Creative Saskatchewan, as well as a stellar cast of voice actors including Mike Anthony, Zoe Slusar, Tarzan Dan, Caitlynne Medrek, and Mark Meer.
At the time of writing, Beyond the Oaks is nearly a third of the way to its funding goal, with 44 days left to go.
To read more about Beyond the Oaks, or join the campaign at any one of the 14 reward tiers, head to the game’s Kickstarter right now.